Last fall, four Lansing Catholic football players knelt during the national anthem at games. They did it as a form of protest. They sought reforms from the school to fight racial injustice.
Graham Couch/Lansing State Journal

Alex Hosey, 15, is a point guard for East Lansing High School's freshman basketball team. He wrote an essay last year called "Why I Sit."(Photo11: Sam Hosey Jr.)

EAST LANSING -- A high school basketball player's essay has caused city officials to craft a formal apology for the racism blacks experienced decades ago.

The East Lansing City Council is expected to approve Feb. 27 a resolution that will apologize for policies that prevented blacks from purchasing homes in the city or the lack of policies that would have helped them.

Alex Hosey, 15, wrote an essay in December called "Why I Sit." It explains why he sits during the national anthem at basketball games.

Read his essay at the end of this story.

Now it's a movement that's received local and even national praise.

"I still can’t believe it," Hosey said Monday afternoon. "I never imaged I’d have this kind of impact in this short amount of time.”

Blacks were prevented from purchasing homes in East Lansing until about the late 1960s. They were often dissuaded by real estate agents and steered toward other communities.

Hosey's essay wasn't a school project. It was a challenge from his parents to explain why he sits to peacefully protest racism and discrimination.

By putting words to paper, the point guard for East Lansing High School's freshman team delivered what may end up the biggest assist of his life.

East Lansing's Alex Hosey, 15 inspires Mayor Mark Meadows and City Council to take a hard look at housing discrimination. Hosey's essay "Why I Sit" has generated national recognition.(Photo11: Sam Hosey Jr.)

Hosey's words inspired East Lansing Mayor Mark Meadows, Councilwoman Shanna Draheim and even The Undefeated, a website affiliated with ESPN.

Last week, The Undefeated named Hosey its athlete of the week.

"ESPN? C'mon now!" Hosey said. "I thought maybe, if I was a senior, and super lucky, or hit a game-winning shot, that I would get recognition.

The resolution is expected to receive unanimous support at City Council's Feb. 27 meeting, Draheim said.

Passage of the resolution, Draheim said, could lead to creation of a public event, possibly a "community conversation," that's aimed to heal and educate.

"Never underestimate what kids can teach us and remind us about our history,” Draheim said.

In addition to a city-wide apology, Alex Hosey wants the East Lansing School District to teach the history of housing discrimination and the effects of redlining on people of color.

The district has been receptive and is expected to use property deeds from the 1960s that show how restrictive the language in them was, Hosey said.

Housing discrimination hits home for Hosey and his family. He is the grandson of Samuel Hosey Sr., Ingham County's first black pharmacist.

Samuel Hosey Sr. and Helen, his wife, moved to East Lansing in 1969 once they felt confident they wouldn't be prevented from buying a home.

Samuel Hosey Jr., Alex Hosey's father, considers his son's experience with city officials a lesson in assertiveness he'll never forget.

"As a child, your mom would always say 'Say you're sorry if you've done something wrong,'" said Sam Hosey Jr. said of the city's resolution. “I think this is the city of East Lansing’s way of saying 'I'm sorry.' It’s a great step."